Uverse with HDMI and TOSlink for the Win

A recent update from Uverse has done more than just making things look pretty, we now can hear everything as it should be. A little over a week ago I noticed the Aspect ratio on my TV was off and when I went to investigate or reset things, I noticed the menus had been updated.

I thought to myself, they had to have done more than give us a different feel for the guide areas. I've been busy with a horse show and haven't had much time to watch anything by the time I make it home. But this last week of the show I've made it home earlier and last night I was able to test out some things.

I made sure my Aspect Ratio was correct and enabled the Dolby Audio under the preferences for Uverse. My set is connected with HDMI and I have a TOSlink running to my faithful Sony Receiver for my audio needs.

Last night I watched Underworld: Evolution in HD off the FXHD channel and the audio was solid and never dropped. Its only taken them almost a year to fix the audio problems we use to have. I think we will enjoy a lot more shows with this problem behind us now.

The big claim from Uverse is to give the best digital entertainment experience and for me audio is a big part. Most of the techs seemed to think HDMI was not the way to go an it also sounded like a number of users did not use TOSlink for Dolby 5.1 sound as well.

Finally a fix has come down and things are like they are suppose to be. In addition to the audio fix, the update also added features to set recordings from any set top box as well as delete recordings from those boxes; another plus in my eyes and I no longer have to run back to the living room and remember which shows I watched to delete them.

If you've been on the fence about Uverse or heard about some of their issues, you might take another look and find the service is finally as good as its suppose to have been.

I've been Tagged Now

I'm still enjoying my new Windows Mobile Phone and checking out different apps that are available. Over the past few months I've noticed this funny looking tags being used as Avatars or Icons for people's twitter accounts, like the one on the left here.

I created the Tag with Microsoft's Tag program and they allow you to create your own Tags for either a URL, Free Text, vCard, or a Dialer and as long as your phone can run the Tag Reader software, you can then access the information being provided by the tag.

I'm amazed that they can come up with enough combinations and placements of the color dots, as well as allow you to add an image in the back ground or even trick out that tag to not even look like the dots all together. Pretty slick process if you ask me and I think I'll have fun creating some additional tags as well as looking for them while I'm out and about now.

What's that in your PockeTwit there?

Is that twitter or you just happy to see me? I think its my favorite app so far to date. Ok, I really haven't downloaded to many Apps, but I have to say that PockeTwit is very slick and works well with my XV6900 Touch phone.

If you haven't heard about Twitter, well I'm really not sure where you've been lately. Fact is Social Marketing is growing by leaps and bounds and Twitter is one of the popular ones by far. Known as micro blogging to most of us, Twitter allows you to post messages of 140 characters about things your doing or thinking about.

The main screen loads nicely with the avatar images of the people your following and has their message off to the right hand side. You can slide out various menu options from the left and right hand sides of the screen. I think the menus work really well with the touch features of the phone.

I've already had to rethink my phone usage and found out with a major shock, that my charges for Data were out the roof. Seems a lot of text messages and updates to an from Twitter can really add up.

So I know have a text plan for the phone that should work out better and I've added a nice package for Internet Data usage as well. By far this is a lot cheaper than what was happening and I didn't really like it when Customer Service said, "You would have had an outrageous bill at the end of the month."

In closing, the one thing my phone doesn't have is Wi-fi, but other than that feature, I'm really pleased with the features and performance of my new PDA phone.

Finally a phone I think I'll love

It's no iPhone, but in a lot of cases people say its the closest thing to it, with out the high price tag. The XV6900 comes from makers HTC in the form of their HTC Touch phone. I think I'll call it... myPhone!

This phone has been available from Verizon for about a year now and they've recently slashed their price on this PDA model. More and likely making way for some newer models that have more features, but at those higher prices.

It's the high prices that have kept me from a PDA phone for so many years now. I can look back at all the previous PDA style phones that I wanted and some are very much beasts and perhaps I can be thankful that I stuck to my guns an refused to pay those high prices.

So why now and why this phone particular phone an not an iPhone? Well the features and price say a lot for me. For one thing, this is a Windows Mobile phone, a hand held mini PC really. I can actually learn a bit more with Visual Studio 2008 pro and make some Mobile Applications to run on my hand held mini PC.

The PDA Phone comes with Windows Mobile 6.1, mini versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the Adobe PDF reader, the ability to sync up with Outlook and take my schedules with me, and Internet Explorer for web access. These are a lot of features and programs I use on a regular basis with my PC. With the latest 6.1 update comes the expaned memory, allowing a 16gig MiniSD Card to be used for storage.

The price for this phone is currently set at $69.99 (while supplies last) from Verizon and my upgraded price for agreeing to another 2yrs, lands my new phone for only $19.99, a "No-brainer" as I like to say. The other plus is I don't have to pay for full blown Internet really. I can pay per kb used and so if I don't use the Internet a lot, I'll save at that point.

Most of the times I've looked at other PDA phones, the only deals were for the new customers and they forced you to pay about $40 a month for Internet. So I was looking at about $300 or more for the phone and a hefty Internet charge. Not the case this time around though.

I do give much praise to the iPhone and if money was not an issue, I could more an likely see something myself using something like the iPhone. But I think I can still have as much of a Cool & Wow factor from the XV6900 PDA Phone and well under the price tag.

I guess I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and at least this was not a phone that was sold out like many of the others in the past. So I'll finally have that PDA phone combo I've dreamed about... ok, I haven't dreamed about it, but I've thought long an hard over the past years about it.

Doing the Dew Diet style

First I want to state that I've started working with a web site called BzzAgent.Com and I've signed on with them to take surveys and talk about some products that they come in contact with.

Its a pretty cool thing and we get to simpy speak about the product and tell what we feel about it. So we can say if we love it or hate it pretty much. When we share our views, we also like to have those we expose give their honest feedback as well.

The first campaign I'm working with is Diet Mountain Dew. I have to say I'm rather surprised at the taste of Diet Mountain Dew and I've been sharring this with some of friends recently. Some of them like it and some don't, but for me I didn't find a really strong after taste, like I thought would come with diet drinks.

As far as a pick me up drink, I think it had the right amount and I skipped having coffee this morning and went with the Diet Dew only. I've had some energy drinks in the past that had more of an after taste than Diet Mountain Dew.

I'm not a normal drinker of Mountain Dew and the only other flavor I've really tried was Game Fuel and that was tied to the Halo 3 campaign. I prefer the taste of Diet Mountain Dew over Game Fuel. Well if you've never tried it, then I suggest you giving it a try and enjoy the fact it has no calories and is low in sodium too.

If you like visit ChatThreads.Com and use the id: 101-683-462882 as well to give your feed back on Diet Mountain Dew. Also check out BzzAgent.Com if your intrested in joining and getting in to all the Bzz as well.

What a sweet ride

The 2009 BMW K1300 S is the latest on two wheels from BMW Motorcycles and looks like a very nice ride. Take a look at my next dream machine through the following video clip someone put together. I think I need to see about test riding one of these babies soon, but until then... I'll just have to dream.

Visiting Don's Barber Shop

I was due for a haircut and in a very big way. So I decided I would visit the place my father use to go over the past years. Located in south Arlington, Texas is a very small Barber Shop, built in the late 60's and still running today.

I wanted to visit the small white building near my parents home and remember some of the good times I had with Dad. The thing about a place like Don's is its filled with a lot of old memories and the many years of people coming and going. His business is slowing down a bit and he's seen loyal customers pass away or move out of the area.

I stepped into the shop and the older gentleman was just about done with his haircut and only one more ahead of me. It turned out that the other man was the son of the man getting the haircut and his mother sat in the shop with them. That's what I call some loyal patrons.

It's quite a different experience to visit an old Barber Shop such as this. Now days things are very busy and you have various chains all over to get a haircut. But at a place like Don's, you get to sit a while and hear some old stories, perhaps a joke or two, and even learn a bit about the old days.

Its not fancy at all and I'm sure my Dad felt quite at home visiting with Don and he was very pleased with not only the style of haircut but the price too. I myself hope Don continues to do well and I might even pop in to his place from time to time for other haircuts.